The star of most Thanksgiving feasts is, of course, the turkey. My plate, however, usually consists of heaping mounds of side dishes with a small nod to the bird.

For many, no Thanksgiving spread is complete without sweet potatoes. Whether it’s topped with marshmallows or not, it’s a classic staple on many tables. Unfortunately, my family is not a fan of sweet potatoes and after years of making many variations I eventually decided it wasn’t worth the effort for a dish that only I enjoyed.

Photo by Carolyn Jensen

Sweet potato biscuits make a strong foundation for a sandwich.

Recently, while looking through some family recipe cards I discovered one for sweet potato biscuits. That got me thinking. If I could combine two side dishes in one, could I get away with sneaking one of my favorite root vegetables into one of my family’s favorites, a biscuit? And, could that biscuit hold up as a vehicle for a turkey sandwich?

The day after Thanksgiving is one of our favorite days of the year. With the shopping, prepping and cooking for the big day behind us, a turkey sandwich with all the fixings makes us giddy.

Filling up a biscuit with slices of turkey and cranberry sauce, a good slather of mayonnaise and mustard, crisp lettuce and slices of red onion is a tradition we look forward to all year. Raiding the fridge for other condiments such as pickles, cheese and kimchi make great additions.

I’ve used date syrup in this recipe for a not-too-sweet alternative to refined sugar or honey. I like Just Date Syrup, a local company that uses organic dates to produce a lightly sweet and caramelized syrup with a hint of molasses. I love the slightly smoky flavor it gives baked goods.

Photo by Carolyn Jensen

Making a small turkey breast at home is easy.

But what if you are a guest and the host does not send you home with leftover turkey? Making a small turkey breast at home is easy. This recipe calls for a 6 ½- to 7-pound turkey however, I found a small 2½-pound bone-in breast that was perfect for a weeknight meal or if hosting just a few people for Thanksgiving. I made the same amount of paste that the recipe calls for because I like the big flavor that it imparts into the turkey.

So whether you host or not, these recipes will be the foundation to making a great sandwich on Friday.

Carolyn Jensen is a culinary explorer who is devoted to shopping farmers’ markets for locally sourced, extraordinary and seasonal foods. She shares her weekly bounty through photos, tips and recipes on Instagram at gatherweekly and on her blog at gatherweekly.com. Contact her at carolyn@gatherweekly.com

Recipes

Biscuits

9 servings

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 cup mashed orange flesh sweet potato or garnet yam (about 1 medium)

2 tablespoons date syrup or nectar

½ cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

Wash and dry sweet potato, prick with a knife a few times. Lay potato on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and bake until a knife pierces easily through, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on size of potato.

Remove from oven and let cool. Split sweet potato in half, scoop out flesh into a wide bowl. Mash with a fork or a potato masher. Measure out one cup.

Place all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a food processor, pulse a few time until combined.

Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add the sweet potato, buttermilk and date syrup. Mix until just combined.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Dough will be sticky. Scatter flour to top of the mound, using your fingers form the dough into an approximately 8 X 9 inch rectangle (alternatively, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough) to a 1-inch thick rectangle. Refrigerate the dough for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove from the refrigerator and cut dough into 9 pieces. My rectangle was not perfect at the corners and as a result those pieces were not perfect squares, which I don’t mind. If you’re looking for a more uniform and consistent shape, use a 3-inch round biscuit cutter. If using a cutter, gently press scraps together to cut as many biscuits as you can.

Brush off excess flour from the bottom of the biscuits and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Arrange on prepared baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes; mine took 12 minutes. When done, remove biscuits onto a wire cooling rack. Biscuits are best served warmed. If you’re planning to make them earlier in the day, reheat them by wrapping the biscuits in foil and place in a oven at 250 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for one day.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the turkey breast on a rack in a roasting pan, skin side up.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, herbs, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture evenly all over the skin of the turkey. You can loosen the skin and smear half of the paste underneath, directly on the meat. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan. Place turkey on the middle rack of oven.

Roast the turkey 1 to 1½ hours, checking after about 50 minutes or so; if the skin is overbrowning, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest and meatiest area of the breast.

When the turkey is done, remove from the oven, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and allow the turkey to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve warm with the pan juices or layer onto a sweet potato biscuit and other condiments of your choice.